Hello this has been racking my brain for a while, but does WGA windows validational tool. Is it true that if such update is installed on your pc it can track and monitor your O.S information and apprently it sends a lisence detail from your OS over, apprently according to microsoft but apprently you are other a victem or a pirator, apprently if your a victem and you can prove it, apprently they will give you a fresh legal copy but if your a priater apprently it's bad news for you. I just wanted to know because I would have thought to track somones pc that would be against privacy laws.....

Lol, the CIA Does it and its not against the law, but this isnt waht happens.......when you validate or update windows, it sends a signal with information of your OS to microsoft, it is possible for a hacker to get this information, but this is yet why we use firewalls.

They just scan your serial key and such to see if it's pirated or not. If it's not a legal copy, they just advise you to buy a license for a reduced rate (under the presumtion that you're a victim of counterfeiting). If it's legal, then you're fine.

If you want, just download this program that deletes WGA out of your registry. For System Updates, don't set it to automatic download, but to "Notify me but don't automatically download or install them." The next time they have a update and such, this yellow shield with a X on it will show up on your taskbar. Click it, download the necessary stuff (Microsoft provides a description of what you're downloading). If you see Microsoft Windows Genuine Validation, don't check it and it won't download.

Sureley peopel with pirated software can't just bypass the validation key and update there windows to the full extent without microsoft actually realising or is it how it's got to nowadays....., So basicly the only security check for updates is the WGA tool but if you bypass that then there is no other threats to a pirated system?

Well considering that Microsoft already lets you choose if you want to install it or not, I don't think taking it out would be considered illegal. Also, it's not to catch people, it's just to see if you have a pirated copy and if you do, they provide a link for you to buy a license key at a cheaper rate than you would normally find it at. They're not gonna call the CIA or FBI on you or something.

I wanted to know this is because a freind gave me his old computer "Compaq" and it has his old serial he no longer uses on the sticker of the computer , the product key, Am I alloud to use this key for future prefences?